"For the word of God is living and active...it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
All over our country, the world maybe, the headline news will be. . ."Twenty-six Shot Dead at Elementry School in Connecticut."
We've learned that twenty of the murdered were children between the ages of five and ten years old. Before going to the Sandy Hook Elementary school the morning of 12/14/12; the twenty year old killer had shot his mother.
An emotional event such as this triggers feelings of rage, sorrow, fear and a sense of helplessness. How do we protect our children, or ourselves, from those who are distrubed? Where is God in this? Why does He let terrible tragedies happen? I can't imagine dropping a child off at school and hours later having to go claim their dead body. I wonder if I could handle that. As believers, our only option is to stand in faith, trusting the character of God.
Isaiah 7:7 ". . .this is what the Sovereign Lord says: verse 9. . .If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."
So many of us will be praying for the families of the victims. I'll be asking the Lord to comfort them, bring peace, give them an extra measure of faith, experience His presence daily and never feel alone. God never intended for us to handle the horrors of this world without Him - never!
We ask the question - Why? I suppose the story will unfold, piece by piece - then we'll know 'why', maybe. I'm not sure it's wise for the press to dwell on this for long. And, I believe some things, like family matters, should be left private. Does everybody have the right to know everything? Probably not. I also fear the more this horrific event is brought to light, others who are unstable, may take an unhealthy interest.
Most of us at some time in our life will face some serious challenges. We'll know we need help. Obviously, this young man who brutally killed so many, even his own mother, must have been desperate and felt he had no place to go - no one who'd understand, no peace, no faith or hope that life would be better - nothing!
This is a tragedy of its own. No one needs to experience hopelessness. God came to us as a human being - Jesus, our Savior. What does He save us from? Ourselves! This killer, Adam, did he know that He could be rescued? Did he know that peace comes from knowing Jesus? Jesus is our peace - Ephesians 2:14.
I think it's interesting that his name is 'Adam', the name God gave to the first human He created. One of the best things we can do for our children, of any age, is to lift up Jesus Christ as our Lord. Give them the tools they'll need to handle this world. A place to go when life gets unbearable. Tell them of God's unconditional love, and His provision for eternal life with Him. Share with them that when we come to God, He'll never turn us away; He's waiting to welcome us as His child. There is nothing He won't forgive, and if we ask, He'll give us the faith to believe.
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."
Hebrews 12:2
Let us tell our children about heaven, and hell.
"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13.
Yes, we will all appear before God who will be our judge. Those of us who know Him personally have nothing to fear, not one thing, even though none of us can claim to have lived a 'perfect' life. We can go before Him with confidence.
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16.
I'm so sorry that Adam didn't go to God instead of the school to destroy forever so many lives. Maybe no one told him, maybe he didn't know another way to ease his pain. He took his own life, so he had no hope. We can live without a lot of things, but not without hope. I've spent over eleven years in a prison ministry, I know about hopelessness. Hope is in God, don't bother looking elsewhere.
And finally, we need to trust God's Word, the Bible, to be true to itself. We must look at how God has woven His sovereignty into our lives; we can't escape it. This is an interesting verse to meditate on - maybe not what most would call a verse of 'hope', but very important in helping us to understand the fullness of God. Nothing escapes His sovereign rule.
"The Lord works out everything for his own ends - even the wicked for a day of disaster." Proverbs 16:4
We thank you Lord that we can trust your perfect plan. I ask that you touch the hearts of many through this very sad event and they will come to You for help and comfort.
